Blowing Kisses in the Wind
by la periodista
Summary: Ever loved someone so much that it hurt? Sam Manson struggles with that every day as she tries to get her best friend to see her in a new light. Chapter five finally added!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all, and welcome to my newest story, inspired by the Paula Abdul song of the same name. My previous two DP stories focused primarily on the nice side of romance, so I decided to focus more on the dark side of teenage crushes, such as how it feels when you like someone that doesn't like you back. I'm planning a lot of angst for this story, coupled with the romance.**

**But, oh, I digress. Here is the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of the Danny Phantom series, nor do I own any of Paula Abdul's work.**

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Samantha Manson awoke feeling relatively normal for once, but she knew that that would all change soon enough. As she ate her breakfast, she dreaded having to brush her teeth, knowing it would bring on another attack, like it did every morning.

After clearing her dishes from the table and rinsing them off, Sam took out her cough syrup. She drank a couple sips of water, took the medicine, then finished off the glass of water. Taking a few deep breaths, she braced herself for what she knew was coming as she went to the bathroom after partially refilling the glass with tepid water.

Sam set the glass on the counter, readied her toothbrush, and began to scrub her teeth. She finished in a hurry as she felt the urge to cough welling up in her throat. Gripping the counter, she coughed until she gagged, and her abs ached from the force of it all. Putting her toothbrush away, she took quick, shallow breaths, then slowly sipped at the water until the attack dissipated.

Later that morning...

Sam took her favorite seat on the bus. Environmentally-conscious, she refused to be driven by car to school, but it was too far to walk and too ht to ride a bike, so she settled for public transportation. Besides, Daniel Fenton, her best friend since kindergarten-and crush since middle school-took the bus as well.

Sam's heart went aflutter as the bus neared Danny's stop. She could see him standing outside, attempting to shield himself from the relentless Sun. He smiled warmly at her as he boarded the bus, and she moved her book bag to the floor to make room for him.

"Hey, Sam," he greeted her, sliding into the seat.

"Hey, Danny," she responded, stifling a yawn as the drowsiness from the cough medicine began to overwhelm her.

"Had to take that medicine again?"

"Yep."

"You know, you really should talk to your doctor about that cough."

"Yeah, Danny, I know, okay?" Sam snapped.

"There's no need to get mad at me. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"I'm sorry, Danny," Sam sighed. "I'm just so exhausted. All the stress is really getting to me."

"I know, Sam, I know, but you'll get through it. You always find a way," Danny soothed, patting his lap.

Sam put her legs on top of Danny's, sitting perpendicular to him. He slowly massaged her calves, eliciting a calm sigh from her.

_That feels so amazing_, Sam thought, fantasizing about his hands wandering elsewhere.

"Sam, we're here," Danny informed his best friend, ending her reverie.

Sam let out a long sigh as they grabbed their things and got off the bus.

"Danny, over here!" Valerie Gray yelled from across the front lawn of Casper High, waving her arms. School had just gotten out for the day, and Danny was in the process of walking to the bus stop with Sam.

"Save me a seat, Sam?" Danny asked, imploring his best friend with his bright blue eyes.

"Sure, Danny, whatever," Sam muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Thanks, see you in a few, he called, having already closed half the distance between his starting point and Valerie.

Sam tried her best to disguise her jealousy as she boarded the bus and waited for it to leave. She stared out the window as Danny and Valerie chatted. Promptly at 3:00, the bus began to pull away from the curb. The last thing she saw was Danny and Valerie climbing into a car together.

During the twenty-minute ride home, Sam could not tear her mind away from Danny and Valerie. If he liked Valerie so much, then why did he flirt with her? Or was he really flirting with her at all? Perhaps she was simply mistaking his friendliness for flirting because she was so blinded by her feelings for him.

Sam fished her house key out of her book bag and unlocked the front door. Opening it, she was yet again welcomed by an empty house, her parents on another business trip and her grandmother playing Bingo at the Amity Park Senior Center. She dropped her things in the foyer and went into the kitchen to snack on whole-wheat crackers and soy milk.

As she flopped onto the couch afterwards, her cell phone rang. She got up quickly, and, upon pulling out of her book bag, noticed it was Danny calling. Against her better judgment, she answered it, hoping to put aside her frustration with him for the time being.

"Hey, Danny."

"Hiya, Sam. Are you busy?"

"Not at all."

"Okay, well, I just wanted to explain about earlier. See, Valerie's dad kind of gave me a ride home. I wanted to call you and let you know, but it was a very last-minute decision. And I thought it would be rude to make a call from the car, since Valerie and her dad were doing me a favor."

"No problem, Danny. Are we still on for later?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, the sleepover at Tucker's," Sam reminded him, referring to the house of their other best friend, Tucker Foley.

"Oh, no, I totally forgot. Sam, I'm sorry, but I made other plans. Valerie invited me to see a movie with her, and I said yes because I thought Tucker was saying something earlier this week about canceling the sleepover. I forgot that he decided to leave it as it was."

"Okay, Danny, have fun," Sam said, hot tears stinging her eyes. "Talk to you tomorrow, I guess. Bye."

"Thanks for understanding. Bye Sam."

Sam called Tucker to tell him Danny wouldn't be there, then went upstairs to take a hot shower. Unfortunately, however, even the water hitting her bare skin was not enough to settle her nerves about Danny. As she finished up, a thought occurred to her. She got out, dried off, and put on a robe, then went to her CD player and pressed Play. The song that came on was like a guilty pleasure for her, and she let the lyrics flood her mind as she returned to the bathroom to start packing her toiletries for Tucker's house. As she collected her things, her eyes caught sight of her razor.

Sam's mind went back to Danny as she listened to the song, and she started to cry again. The lyrics focused on a woman lamenting a one-sided relationship, and reminded her so much of the friendship she had with Danny, that she'd been wishing could be so much more. Wiping her eyes, she glanced at the razor sitting on the counter, its metal blades reflecting the fluorescent lights overhead.

Sam reached over and picked it up, her mind temporarily filled with memories of the first time she shaved.

_She was doing well, until she nicked her knee. She could hardly believe that such a small nick that bled so little could sting so much, like a paper cut on her leg. But after she cleaned and bandaged it, it stopped hurting and disappeared after a very short time._

Her thoughts lingered on that last recollection before turning back to Danny getting in the car with Valerie. Sam knew he liked Valerie, but something inside her always hoped that he would fall for her instead, and they would become more than best friends. But all that hope was lost earlier, during her conversation with Danny. She felt like things would never develop romantically between them now, and couldn't deny how much that hurt her.

Sam was now firmly gripping the razor with her left hand and the counter with her right, straightening her right arm. The cold metal grazed the skin of her forearm, and she squeezed her eyes shut. As she put more pressure, she felt a release, but with it came physical pain. She cried out and dropped the razor, and it clattered into the sink basin.

Sam quickly picked it back up, rinsed it off, and put it away, the concentrated on cleaning up her arm. When she finished, she still had an hour to ready herself for the sleepover, which now involved only her and Tucker. She finished packing her things and locked up the house.

A cool breeze swirled through Amity Park, gently rustling the branches of the blooming trees as the Sun dipped below the horizon. While Sam made her way over to Tucker's, a sense of calm at last settled itself upon her. _Screw Danny_, she thought as she reached her destination. _If he wants to forego our Friday-night tradition to hang t with the girl that's trying to vaporize his ghost half, that's his problem._

Danny had been harboring a secret for the last two years regarding his identity. Most of the time, he was Danny Fenton, a somewhat-average sixteen-year-old young man. But when spirits attacked his hometown, he morphed into Danny Phantom, a ghost with a shadowy body, white hair, neon-green eyes, and the abilities to float/fly, phase through objects, overshadow humans, turn invisible, and go intangible.

And he certainly had good reasons to hide his secret. His parents were ghost hunters. Other ghost hunters pursued him as well. Even ghosts themselves went after him. The residents of Amity Park, who referred to him as "Inviso-Bill," never realized he was actually protecting them; instead, they only saw him as Public Enemy #1. And on top of all that, the girl he wanted to date was also moonlighting as a ghost hunter, and Danny Phantom was her primary target.

Danny hated that Sam seemed so impatient with him lately, as he didn't realize that she was angry because she felt like they were growing apart. And Sam was aggravated that Danny seemed so aloof and flaky, unaware of how hard things had been for him lately. However, as Sam rang the doorbell, she did feel bad for being mad at Danny and decided to call him later that evening and tell him that she hoped they could spend some more time together.

"Hey, Sam, glad to see ya," Tucker greeted her upon opening the front door. He moved aside to let her in, then took her things and put them in the den.

"It's so weird not to have Danny here," Tucker admitted as he joined Sam in the living room. "You two always arrive together."

Sam blushed a little at this, but the young man didn't seem to notice. The two sat down and chatted for awhile, and Sam removed her sweater after some time. When she did, Tucker noticed a large bandage on her inside right forearm.

"Hey, what happened?" he asked, gesturing at her arm from his place across from her on a sofa.

"Oh, nothing really," she lied, covering the bandage with her left hand. "Just a little accident with the scissors in art class."

"Shouldn't you get a Tetanus shot for that?"

"Tucker..." Sam said, exasperated.

"Okay, okay, sorry. Just curious."

At that moment, Tucker's parents arrived with burgers, fries, and sodas for themselves and their son, and a tofu burger, tortilla chips, and a non-dairy strawberry smoothie for Sam. They smiled at the two teenagers as they set the bags of food on the dining room table.

"Ooh, boy, dinner's here," Tucker said, jumping up from the sofa and rubbing his hands together eagerly.

Meanwhile...

Danny returned to his seat after a trip to the concession stand, carrying a large bucket of popcorn covered with butter, a medium soda with two straws, and a box of chocolate candy. He handed Valerie the candy, placed the soda in the drink holder between them, and sat down just as the previews began.

After the two finished their snacks, Danny pulled the old yawn-and-stretch, placing his arms across Valerie's shoulders. She smiled and rested her head on him, and they remained like that as they watched the rest of the film. When it ended, they left hand-in-hand and strolled to a coffee shop to have dinner.

An hour later, they found themselves on Valerie's doorstep.

"I had a lot of fun, Danny," she said, gazing up into his bright blue eyes. "Thanks for everything."

Danny was about to thank her, but was interrupted when she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

"Good night," she murmured, squeezing his hand.

"Good night," he answered dreamily.

Despite the late hour and the cool night air, Danny elected to walk home instead of flying. Two years of being chased by ghost hunters had taught him not to go ghost except when absolutely necessary.

Danny arrived home at 10:30, bid his parents good night, and went up to his room. When he took his cell phone out of his pocket, he noticed he had a missed call from Tucker, which he promptly returned. As Tucker's end of the line rang, Danny replayed the evening in his head, figuring that Tucker had called to ask him how it went.

"Hey, Danny, I'm glad you called."

"What's up, Tuck?"

"It's about Sam. I'm worried about her."

"How come?" Danny inquired, detecting the concern in his best friend's voice.

"She's been acting really funny all evening. She kept saying that she was hungry, yet hardly ate any of her dinner. And she has a huge bandage on her arm, and when I asked her about it, she got all flustered and said she hurt herself in art class. I don't know what her deal is, but I'm really concerned. Hey, hold on, I think I just heard her in the hallway. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay, Tuck. Bye."

As Danny sat at his desk to use his laptop, he puzzled over what Tucker had just told him about Sam, especially because she seemed fine when he'd talked to her just a few hours earlier. At any rate, he knew Tucker wouldn't have said anything unless the young man truly believed that something was seriously wrong. Thinking back to that morning when Sam was exhausted and moody, Danny found himself waiting impatiently for Tucker's call. So impatiently, in fact, that he decided to go to Tucker's house to meet with his two best friends in person.

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**Please review! Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, and welcome to chapter two! To all the DxS 'shippers out there, fear not, this chapter is for you! I am one myself, but, as I mentioned in the introduction to the first chapter, I wanted to focus on the less pleasant aspects of falling in love, particularly pain and confusion, meaning the DxV instances are of high importance.**

**A big thank you to all my reviewers for quelling my concerns regarding the material.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Danny Phantom, nor do I own any of Paula Abdul's work.**

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Sam felt her pulse quicken as Tucker opened his front door, letting Danny inside and putting his things in the den. When Danny made eye contact with Sam, she blushed and looked away.

"I see you made it after all," she commented, finally looking at him again as he smiled at her.

"Well, I got home at 10:30, so I thought, Hey, why not?" he explained, sitting on the sofa.

Sam excused herself to the restroom just as Tucker came back from the den, giving him a chance to talk to Danny in private, even if only for a few minutes.

"So what exactly did Sam tell you earlier?" Danny asked. "About her arm, that is."

"She just said that when she was in art class, she had a 'little accident with the scissors.' I sensed she was hiding something from me, but she got mad at me when I mentioned her getting a Tetanus shot, so I felt it best not to prod her. I trust that she did indeed hurt herself, because why would she walk around wearing a bandage otherwise? However, I don't believe for a second that she injured herself with scissors. What do you think, man?"

"I honestly don't know what to think anymore. What bothers me is that she keeps saying something about having coughing attacks every morning, but she refuses to go to the doctor. Instead, she relies on cough syrup that makes her drowsy."

"Listen, man, I know how much her parents dislike us and her lifestyle, but maybe we can talk to her grandma. Perhaps she can talk Sam into going to the doctor. If it doesn't work, I don't know what we're going to do, but it's certainly worth a try."

"Great idea, Tuck. We can talk to her about it tomorrow. But for now, what are we going to do about Sam's problem? We don't even know what it is yet. We just know that something is very wrong."

"True. I suppose all we can really do for now is try to carry on normal conversation, and hope she'll let slip at least a little hint as to what's bothering her so much."

Sam bit her lip as she pulled off the bandage, then cringed as she looked at the wound. It had been bugging her so much that she decided to clean it again and put on a fresh bandage. As she completed the tasks, she thought back to what she'd done to herself that caused the wound. She could hardly believe that she'd injured herself on purpose, but had to admit that the release that came with it had been a major stress reducer.

Unfortunately, those somewhat-placid moments were fleeting, for she found herself stressing over Danny again. The song from earlier played in her head, painfully reminding her yet again of her one-sided romance with him and causing hot tears to sting her eyes.

Sam dried her tears with tissues and washed her face. Taking deep breaths, she felt another attack coming, brought on by her crying. Although her tears this time around hadn't lasted as long as earlier, she had full-on cried, as opposed to just sobbing.

Sam started to cough and pushed hard with her abs, trying to force it all out so that it would pass much quicker, all the while hoping that no one else could hear her gagging. When she finally calmed down, she grabbed her bottle of cough syrup and took it to the kitchen. She took a dose, downed an entire glass of water, and put the medicine away before sitting in a recliner for a moment to rest.

Danny and Tucker had heard Sam gagging and went looking for her, at last finding her in the den, her face still flushed from crying and coughing.

"You okay, Sam?" Tucker inquired as she fanned her face with her hand.

"Don't worry, guys, I'll be fine," she insisted, prompting Tucker and Danny to exchange worried glances.

"Sam, you need to go to the doctor on Monday!" the two young men said simultaneously.

"Yeah, whatever," she rolled her eyes, shrugging them off again.

"Enough of the bullshit, Sam," Danny told her angrily. "If you won't go on your own, we'll tell your parents about your behavior as of late."

Sam looked up at Danny, her violet eyes glazed over with fury. "You wouldn't," she sneered, surprised at her tone of voice.

"Yes, we would," Tucker spoke up, both he and Danny standing their ground.

"You have no place telling them something that's none of your business!" she shouted, hurriedly getting up from the recliner. Pushing past them, she quickly gathered her things. "I don't need this crap. I get enough of it from my parents. I'm going home, where at least I can be myself. And don't you dare even think about trying to stop me. Good riddance."

Danny and Tucker watched in stunned silence as Sam ran out the front door and into the darkness of the night. Tucker was first to shake off the shock and immediately ran upstairs to get help from his parents, while Danny morphed into his ghost form and turned invisible to furtively pursue Sam, despite her angry comments to him and Tucker mere seconds before that.

Danny followed her from a distance, not wanting to get too close and risk betraying his presence with a sudden temperature drop. Sam ran all the way home, not even pausing to catch her breath. She unlocked the door quickly and made her way upstairs; a yellow glow emanating from some second-story window alerted Danny that she'd reached her bedroom.

And then the coughing started again.

Sam was seized by another attack, but was fortunate that the cough syrup had kicked in, keeping her from gagging for the most part. A very worried Danny disregarded what she'd said earlier and phased through her bedroom wall, just in time to see her collapse onto her bed, exhausted and out of breath.

"You alright, Sam?" Danny inquired, reverting back to his human form and walking over to her bed.

"I thought I told you not to follow me!" she managed to hiss, refusing to look at him.

"But I was too worried about you to just let you just go running off into the night like that. I don't know what I did to make you so angry with me, but whatever it was, I'm truly sorry. I just need to know you're okay."

Sam curled up in a ball, not even bothering to crawl under the bed linens.

"Please, Sam, don't ignore me. I'm just trying to look out for you."

Sam finally turned towards Danny, making eye contact with him. "I appreciate your concern, but I need to take care of myself."

"But you haven't been, Sam. That's what scares me and Tuck."

"You're right," she finally admitted, lying on her back and stretching out with her hands under her head, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm just so scared, Danny."

"Scared of what?"

"Of finding out I have some sort of illness that's causing this awful cough."

"I'm sure it's nothing major, Sam. Jazz used to cough like that every time school would get even a little crazy," Danny consoled her, referring to his older sister. "My parents took her to tons of specialists that tested her for all these obscure diseases, only to discover that it had been caused by stress all along."

Instinctively, Danny sat on the bed next to Sam and grazed her arms with his fingertips, producing a tickling sensation that caused her to giggle.

"There, now, that's the Sam I want to see," Danny grinned. _She looks so pretty when she laughs_, he suddenly observed, wondering why he never seemed to notice it before. Or did he?

Danny stopped tickling her, causing her laughter to subside. He looked down at her, gazing into her amethyst eyes, which promptly locked onto his. They just laid there on Sam's bed, needing not speak a word between them, for their eye contact said it all.

"You'd better get going," Sam finally broke their silence. "I'm sure Tuck's worried about you, and I don't want Valerie to get the wrong impression about how her new boyfriend spends his free time."

"What are you talking about, Sam?" Danny sighed. "We're not exclusive. She and I did go on a date, but so what? Sure, I like her a lot, but ultimately I'm just another fickle teenager," he added with a grin, suddenly inching closer to Sam's face.

Sam laid there with bated breath as her best friend/love interest moved his face ever closer to hers, stopping just a couple inches above it to gaze into her eyes once again. And then what she'd been waiting for and wanting so desperately from him finally happened. His kissed her, a sweet, innocent touch of his lips to hers that lasted hardly a second. Yet it was just enough that both of them nearly forgot how to breathe.

"Danny..." Sam murmured dreamily. "This isn't right."

"Why not?" he asked, his face still lingering just a couple inches above hers.

"Because you like Valerie, and I'm sure she likes you, too. And even if you two aren't boyfriend and girlfriend, I can't kiss you knowing that your heart's yearning for another girl."

"You're right," Danny agreed, breaking eye contact with her to shift into a sitting position.

Sam stared up at the ceiling, contemplating what to do next. It was tearing her up inside-she wanted to be with Danny so badly, to feel his lips on hers and his hands on her skin. But she couldn't let that happen knowing that Valerie was still in the picture. As much as she loved him, she had to let go of any romantic feelings conveyed through their kiss, to avoid destroying their friendship.

"Danny?" she finally said, turning her attention back to him.

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Still friends?"

"The best," he grinned. "But I have a request for you. It may seem like a lot to ask, but it's very meaningful to me."

"What is it, Danny?"

Danny took Sam's hands in his and looked deep into her eyes. "Promise me that if things don't work out between me and Valerie, then you'll give this little thing between you and me a chance."

"You're right, Danny, that is a lot to ask," Sam commented, looking away from him.

"I know it sounds a lot like I want you to be some sort of back-up girlfriend-"

"That's EXACTLY what it sounds like Danny."

"But I just want you to know that you'll be there for me," Danny continued as if she hadn't interrupted him.

"Then why do you want me to promise you something like dating you?"

"Okay, okay, so I put it the wrong way. What I meant is that if anything romantic is meant to happen between us, it's not meant to happen right now. But I can truthfully say that I am not willing to accept that it could never happen. And I want you to promise me that you won't give up on the possibility of us being together, either. Because if the both of us are willing to stay just friends for now, maybe it will be right for us to date in the future, after we've both had more experience with other people, first.

"But for now, Valerie and are too interested in each other for me to just drop everything with her. I know I said we aren't exclusive, but I don't want to date both you and her at the same time and have to make a decision between the two of you. In other words, I want you to promise me that if Valerie and I lose interest in each other, you would be willing to reconsider the whole 'just friends' thing, at least for the sake of finding out whether this attraction between you and me could ever turn into something more."

Sam was at an absolute loss for words. She didn't know whether she should grant his request or not. Was he genuinely interested in her? Or did he simply see her as a last resort?

"I'll have to sleep on it," she answered at last.

"Then I'll let you do just that."

Danny squeezed Sam's hands before letting go of them Then he leaned over her and bid her good night, kissing her lightly on the cheek. He then turned back into Danny Phantom and phased back through her bedroom wall

And, as quickly as he had arrived, he was gone.

Sam was genuinely confused as to what to do about Danny. As she laid on her bed, she thought back on what Danny had said. She still couldn't believe that he wanted to try to have a romantic relationship with her, if things fell through between him and Valerie.

IF. The word echoed into the furthest reaches of Sam's mind. To her, "if" was by far the worst word in the English language. That little two-letter word could cause such drastic changes to people's lives, which is precisely what it was doing to hers right now.

A large yawn alerted Sam to how exhausted she was. After dragging herself sleepily off the bed, she went into the bathroom to ready herself. She then crawled under the covers after turning off the light. Sam yawned once more before finding a comfortable position. Her conversation with Danny fresh in her mind, she slipped into a restless sleep.

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**Please review! Thank you so much!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello out there! So sorry for the delay, but I had some major writer's block for a multitude of reasons. At any rate, I decided on the direction of the story and ran with it, so here's chapter three at last! And again, constructive feedback is always highly welcome, so thanks again to all my reviewers.**

**A special note for this chapter: This has a bit of fluff towards the end. Not smut, but if you're not into that kind of thing, feel free to skip that part. You will know it when you see it, so just keep scrolling down. But the fluff is short-lived, and the ending of this chapter is very important, so make sure not to skip too much. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Danny Phantom. I also do not own any work by Paula Abdul.**

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_Sam opened her eyes and found herself in the Ghost Zone. Puzzled over how she got there without even waking up, she stood up and looked all over for Danny. She breathed a sigh of relief as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and levitate her._

_"Oh, Danny, I'm so happy-"_

_Sam's words died in her throat as she turned around and saw that the arms were not those of Danny. They instead belonged to Prince Aragon, a ghost that had once had her abducted and brought to his castle in the Ghost Zone so he could marry her._

_Sam tried to scream, but the ghost clapped a hand over her mouth. "This time you will be mine. No one can help you know," he hissed._

_Something occurred to Sam at that moment. She remembered Danny once telling her that in the Ghost Zone, humans are like ghosts are in the Living World. She hoped this meant that she had the power to escape the ghostly prince's grip._

_Sam closed her eyes and concentrated. Feeling as if she was drawing from some sort of power source within her, Sam managed to turn intangible just long enough to slip away, only to find herself falling. By the time she was aware of this, she was going deeper and deeper into a chasm._

_"Help!" she screamed at the top of her lungs._

Sam awoke from her nightmare at 2:30 a.m. and discovered that she had fallen out of bed. She rubbed her bottom where it had met with the floor, then gripped the side of the bed and used it as leverage to stagger to her feet. Pain shot through her arms as the muscles under her wounds tensed, causing her to lose her grip and her balance to waver slightly. However, she managed to catch herself before falling onto her bottom again.

Sam's thoughts went to the request Danny had made earlier. She wanted him with her whole being, but she knew that dating him hinged on how things turned out between him and Valerie. For all Sam knew, Danny and Valerie could end up married!

Sam shook that last thought out of her head. After all, Danny was only sixteen! But still, there was always an outside chance.

As she ruminated the heartbreaking image of Danny marrying Valerie, the anguish returned to her heart. She needed a release. She needed to let the pain flow out of her.

Regaining her balance, Sam walked to the bathroom and took out her razor. Disregarding the pain in her arms just a moment before, she reopened the wounds.

Sometime later, Sam went back to bed, still undecided as to whether to fulfill Danny's request. But even as the weight of the decision hung over her, she somehow felt relaxed enough to return to the subconscious world, and she quickly fell asleep and did not wake up for the remainder of the night. As she slept on her side, her hands were tucked under the pillow, her wounds rubbing against the bed linens. But the girl remained in a heavy slumber, dreaming of her upcoming sixteenth birthday.

Because Danny had his driving test that day, his parents allowed him to practice by driving to school, meaning Sam wouldn't see him until their snack break between second and third period. Although the classes were short because it was a minimum day, the first two periods seem to drag by slower than ever. Sam tapped her foot nervously as she waited for her British Lit. course to end. Normally she enjoyed the class, but she was anxious to tell Danny her decision after much deliberation.

Come snack break, Danny was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, he appeared just before the bell rang, flushed and breathless.

"Sorry... guys... ghost... problems," he managed to say, just in time to hurry off to his third-period class. All Sam could do was call out a very rushed, "See you later!"

Frustrated and impatient as ever, Sam trudged off to her next class, dreading having to wait nearly another two hours to talk to Danny. She grumpily got through third and fourth period, hoping that Danny wouldn't have to fight any ghosts during their lunch break.

No such luck. First it was the Box Ghost, hiding out in the cafeteria. Then it was Skulker, pestering a rare purple-backed gorilla at the Amity Park Zoo. Then it was Lydia, robbing another jewelry store. Sam didn't see Danny until sixth period, during which they had a test.

After school let out for the day, Danny said a hasty good-bye to Sam before leaving to take his behind-the-wheel test. Sam boarded the bus and spent the whole ride home staring out the window, thinking about Danny.

Upon arriving home, Sam immediately started on her homework. Midway through math, her thoughts were interrupted by the honk of a car horn. Sam arose from the table and walked to a front window. Looking out, she saw a car belonging to the Fentons pulling to the curb in front of her house. She heard the motor shut off right before Danny alighted from the driver's seat.

"Sam! Sam!" he shouted excitedly, hurrying up the walkway and waving a piece of paper. "I got it! I got my license!"

Sam opened the front door and met him halfway. "Congratulations!" she said, actually smiling for the first time that day as he pulled her into a hug.

"All that practice in the Specter Speeder really helped a lot," Danny commented after they broke their embrace, following Sam into her house.

"Hey, you want a snack?" she offered, motioning for him to sit on the sofa.

"Sounds great."

Sam returned a moment later with a tray containing a plateful of oatmeal raisin cookies and two glasses of soy milk. That's just part of why she was so attracted to Danny- he wasn't weirded out by her eating habits. If anything, he admired her all the more for them. He even joined her in them every so often.

Sam set the tray down on the coffee table, and took the spot next to Danny on the sofa. As they had their snack, Danny told Sam about his behind-the-wheel test.

"I know you're not a fan of cars, but would you at least consider riding to school with me?" Danny asked Sam after they finished eating.

"I don't know, Danny. I mean, I'm happy that you got your license and all, but still..."

"Well, here's the beauty of it. I have great news. My parents said that if I keep my grades up, they'll buy me a car. A used one, but a car. When Jazz goes away to college this fall, she's going to get a new car, so my parents are going to trade in her old one and use the money to buy me one. And I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I've decided to go with a hybrid car."

"That's great, Danny. As soon as you get that car, I will be happy to ride to school with you. And I very much appreciate your efforts to be more environmentally conscious."

"Hey, anything for a close friend," Danny explained, grinning at Sam.

"By the way, Danny, about that..." Sam trailed off, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"What's up, Sam?"

"Well, remember what you asked me last night? I thought about it, and I've decided that, yes, I will give the little thing between us a chance if things don't work out between you and Valerie."

Danny breathed a huge sigh of relief. "I'm really glad to hear that. Now, I have something to confess. After the test, while I was waiting for my interim license to be processed, I overheard some kids from school gossiping about Valerie. You know I'm generally not one to put much stock in rumors, but some of the things they mentioned... well, let's just say they weren't pretty. And I found myself thinking, Who am I kidding? I already have someone in my life to whom I'm close, and with whom there's a mutual attraction. I mean, Valerie says she likes me back, but at school, she pretends like I don't exist as soon as anyone popular shows up. So basically what I'm getting at is that I want to focus on you, Sam. And I only wish I'd figured that out sooner."

Sam couldn't resist flashing her love interest a toothy grin, which he promptly returned. Danny scooted closer to her and pulled her into another warm embrace. After letting go, he locked eyes with her, and they just sat there, lost in each other's gaze.

"I really like you a lot, Sam," Danny murmured dreamily, breaking their intense stare to put her hand to his lips and kiss the back of it gingerly.

"I really like you a lot, too, Danny."

Danny began to kiss up Sam's arm. When he reached her shoulder, he stopped and moved to kiss her cheek. Sam sighed longingly as his soft lips grazed her skin. He stopped momentarily to stare into her violet eyes again, before leaning in and kissing her lips.

"Danny..." Sam breathed after he pulled away. In response to her tone of voice, he gave her a fiery kiss.

If Sam was surprised by his actions, she didn't betray it at all. Instead, she opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to explore it. As their kisses deepened, Danny and Sam could sense the excitement building within each other.

"Danny," Sam growled into his ear in between his kisses.

At that point, Danny couldn't take it anymore. Too excited to take the stairs up to her room, he simply turned himself and Sam intangible and flew up, laying her on her bed. Lying down next to her, his lips quickly found their way to her neck.

Sam's breath quickened as Danny continued to kiss her neck. She could feel the heat building up inside her. Danny must have noticed it, too; he stopped what he was doing to gaze deep into her eyes.

"Yes," was all she said.

Danny's lips went back to Sam's neck, his hot breath tickling her sensitive skin. She started to unbutton her blouse, but he quickly stopped her.

"Let me. I want to cherish you, like you deserve," he breathed.

Danny and Sam shared a heated kiss before he shifted his focus to taking in the beauty that lie before him. He turned onto his side, facing her, and began to slowly remove her clothing. He kissed each part of her as it was revealed. When he finished, she did the same to him.

"I wasn't too sure at first, but now I know. I love you, Sam," Danny said.

"I love you, too, Danny."

They need not say anymore, for they spent some time showing each other exactly how much love the two of them shared.

Danny nuzzled his face into Sam's neck as she ran her fingers through his thick hair.

"You are so beautiful," he mumbled, sliding his hand along the curve of her waist. "I wish we could just stay like this forever."

"Mm-hmm," Sam murmured in agreement, a satisfied smile still creasing her face.

Danny began to kiss down Sam's arm, much more deliberately than he'd had the patience to do earlier. "I just wish that-"

Danny cut himself off as he noticed long, thin wounds on the inside of Sam's forearm, near her wrist. Although all were scabbed over, some of them looked more recent than others. As he examined them more closely, the look of pleasure on his face quickly turned into one of concern.

"What are these?" he asked Sam.

"Oh, nothing," she lied, jerking her arm away.

"Tell me the truth, Sam."

"I don't have to tell you anything."

Incensed by Sam's attitude, Danny nearly forgot the heated exchanged they'd just had in her bed. His mind clouded with possible causes for her arm wounds, he quickly got out of the bed and pulled on his boxers.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sam shouted as she watched him hurry into the bathroom.

Danny ignored her as he began to search. He opened drawers and cupboards, looking for the implement responsible for Sam's injuries.

Danny flung open the shower curtain and discovered Sam's razor, sitting on a low shelf near the faucet. He grabbed it and turned it over in his hands, looking for any indication that Sam had used it for any purpose other than that for which it was designed.

Danny took a close look at the blade. Although Sam had made a point of thoroughly rinsing it off after each instance of self-inflicted wounds, she had missed a spot somehow. But Danny found it- a little bit of dried blood that sent him into a frenzy.

"Why are you doing this to yourself, Sam?" he shouted, his tone of voice striking fear into the girl's heart.

Danny made his way back to the bed with the incriminating evidence still in his hand. As Sam sat there, a look of shock affixed firmly to her face, Danny picked up her cell phone from the nightstand. Opening the Address Book, he scrolled down to an entry marked "Dad-emergency," then quickly hit the "Send" key.

The other end of the line rang five times before the voicemail picked up. Danny waited for the beep, then began to leave a message. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Manson? This is Sam's friend, Daniel Fenton, and I'm calling about-"

"Danny, don't!" Sam shouted desperately, snatching the cell phone from him and flipping it shut to end the call.

"Sam, it's for your own good."

"Please, don't tell my parents," she implored him, "They wouldn't understand."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I don't think I understand, either. Why, Sam? Why are you hurting yourself intentionally?"

Concealing her face with her hands, Sam burst into tears. "I don't know," she confessed, hot tears wetting her face. "All I know is that I need your help. If you love me, please help me."

All Danny could do was hold Sam and kiss her tears away, in an effort to comfort her. "Don't worry, Sam. We're going to get you some professional help," he told her, rocking her back-and-forth. "And even if I have to spend every waking hour with you, we're going to get through this mess together. I promise."

* * *

**Please review! Thanks a bunch!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! Finally an update, woo-hoo! I finished writing this chapter last night but was too tired to proofread it before I posted it, so here it is now. Thank you to all my reviewers, particularly those that have expressed dealing with the subject matter in their lives. The topics addressed in this story are also important to me as well, and I will explain why at another time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, in whole or in part. I also do not own any of Paula Abdul's work.**

* * *

Danny remained in Sam's bed with her for much of the evening, although not to do what they'd done earlier. He simply wanted to hold her, to make her believe that somehow everything would be alright.

As his curfew neared, Danny was forced to leave his lover, but he feared to leave her alone. He called his parents and made some lame excuse about having to stay at Tucker's house to practice for a class presentation the next day.

Sam breathed a massive sigh of relief as he talked on the phone, discerning from his words and tone of voice that he'd successfully convinced his parents with his made-up alibi. More than anything, she wanted and needed Danny to stay with her, to take care of her.

Danny hung up and slid closer to Sam, wrapping his arms securely around her waist. "I love you," he whispered, nuzzling his face into her neck. "And I'm going to take care of you."

"I love you, too. And I'm going to start therapy. I promise," she whispered back, pressing her nude body to his, causing her to instantly notice his physical reaction.

"Not now, Sammy," he told her. He hated denying her one of the most basic of human needs, especially when he craved the very same thing she did. But in her already weakened state, he feared that he was somehow taking advantage of her.

Taking note of the lateness of the hour, Danny suggested that they turn in, and Sam readily agreed. Stifling a yawn, Danny got up from the bed to use the restroom, making a point of first going to Sam's closet, pulling out a nightgown and tossing it to her.

When he got back in bed, he realized she hadn't dressed yet. "Don't you want to wear your PJs?" he asked, point-blank.

"I want you to see me for who I am. I don't want to hide from you anymore," she explained, smiling weakly.

Danny flashed a toothy grin in response before running to the bed and jumping on it, bouncing Sam a little. He crawled under the sheet with her and began to explore her body with his hands, prompting several moans from her.

"Danny," she finally said, "I don't want you to stop, but it's getting extremely late."

"You're right," he answered, looking at the clock. "I just couldn't resist."

Sharing a kiss good-night, the two pulled the sheet up higher. Danny laid on his back, and Sam snuggled up next to him and laid her head on his chest. Exhausted from the events of the day, the two quickly fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

Sam awoke to the alarm at 6:00, realizing that she was still in Danny's arms. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she turned off the alarm and nudged her lover awake. 

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," she whispered, turning onto her other side to face him.

"Hey, you," he murmured, giving her a kiss before reaching up to stroke her face. "Did you sleep well?"

"How could I not?"

"True," he grinned. "I slept well, too."

Sam gave him a kiss before getting up to take a shower. Danny got up as well and dressed. Fortunately, he'd changed before his driving test the previous day, so he wouldn't be wearing the same outfit to school two days in a row.

Sam came out in a towel and went to her closet. Pulling out a dress for once, she let the towel drop to the floor, as she had no reason to hide her body from Danny now.

Danny walked to her and touched her playfully, kissing her neck as she started to dress.

"You'd better stop before we're late to school," Sam told him, a warm feeling beginning to spread throughout her body.

"Aw, boo," Danny pouted, causing her to giggle. "And here I was, hoping I could convince you to ditch with me."

"But you and Tucker have to do a presentation today," Sam teased.

"Hey, that was a good excuse. And even if it sounded pathetic, my parents believed me, did they not? That's all that matters," Danny said in his defense, helping Sam slip the dress over her head so it wouldn't rub against her wounds so much.

Once she was dressed, Sam showed Danny her arms. He was relieved to see that some of the more shallow wounds looked to be almost healed. He gingerly kissed around them, then gave her a warm hug. After breaking their embrace, the couple finally went downstairs to eat.

Danny drove himself and Sam to school, picking up Tucker along the way.

"Wow, you're in a car, Sam," Tucker commented.

"I told her about the hybrid car, and she caved," Danny explained, as he and Sam exchanged knowing glances. He eclipsed his free hand over hers, squeezing it gingerly, a moment of affection that was not lost on Tucker.

"It's about time you picked Sam over Valerie," he proclaimed.

Sam turned and glared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, please. It's so obvious you two are lovebirds."

"Tucker," the other two said in a warning tone, which seemed to escape him somehow.

"Daniel and Samantha, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

"TUCKER!"

* * *

Danny pulled into a space in the student parking lot. As the three got out of the car, Danny pulled Sam aside to ask her something. 

"Mind if I confide in Tucker about both you-know-whats?" he whispered.

"Not at all," she whispered back, grinning as she thought about how close they'd gotten since the previous afternoon.

As the day wore on, Danny spent as much time with Sam as he could. Come lunch, however, he was relieved to know that she had a meeting with one of her instructors regarding starting a new school club, as it at last afforded him the chance to talk to Tucker in private.

"Hey, man," Tucker greeted Danny, who had just set down his lunch tray and was sliding into a chair. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you, about me and Sam," Danny answered, blushing.

"You didn't."

"We did. It all happened so fast, but... wow."

"Okay, don't need the details."

"Good, because you're not going to get them. But I still have something else to tell you."

"About you and Sam? Because if you want to tell me that you two are now dating, and in love, then pretty much everyone in the school has figured that out already, myself included."

"It's not that. I mean, you're right, but I actually wanted to talk to you about Sam's wounds. You know, the ones she had bandaged the other day." Danny lowered his voice and motioned for Tucker to move his head closer, so no one else would hear. "She's been putting a razor to her wrist."

"Sam's been cutting herself?" Tucker asked, almost a little too loud. Fortunately, no one else seemed to hear him.

"Yes. She only started on the evening of the sleepover, but some of the wounds were pretty deep."

"How did you find out?"

"Yesterday, after we... well, you know. I happened to notice what had been hidden under the bandages, so I ran to the bathroom and found the razor, with a little red splotch on it. So I confronted her, and she got upset and finally admitted that she needs help."

"Did she ever explain why she does it?"

"She said she doesn't know, and I believe her. She's had to deal with so many things that I think the stress finally got to be too much for her. From the few times that I've actually bothered to listen to Jazz drone on and on about psychology, I've learned that some people are just predisposed to having compulsive tendencies. And I guess Sam 's one of those people."

"Yeah, I guess so. This really sucks, though."

"It does, but I'm sure she'll get through it. I already promised to stick by her side in all this. Where do you stand?"

"I'm not going to let Sam continue to hurt herself. Count me in," Tucker said.

"Thanks, Tuck. I knew we could count on you," Danny smiled, giving his friend a high-five.

* * *

Sam had made an appointment that morning to see her regular physician at 3:00 that afternoon, for an evaluation and a referral to a therapist. Danny and Tucker accompanied her, sitting in the waiting room and studying for a test. When Sam finally finished at 4:00, the three went out for frozen yogurt. Danny then dropped Tucker off before taking Sam to the pharmacy to have her prescriptions filled. 

When they got back to her house, Danny and Sam read through the information regarding the medicines together. She had been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and mild depression, and needed a medication for each. Her doctor had given her permission to wait until Friday to start her medicine, due to the potential side effects.

As Sam rested on the couch, Danny made tofu burgers, a mixed-green salad, and strawberry-banana smoothies for dinner. Despite their mid-afternoon snack, both were quite hungry and quickly devoured the meal. After they finished eating, they both cleaned up before settling down at the kitchen table to do their homework.

As they mowed through their key terms and definitions for European History, Danny used his free hand to reach under the table and gently squeeze Sam's knee. She finished writing her sentence before setting down her pen and turning to Danny to exchange huge grins with him.

"I love you, Sammy," he whispered, moving his hand up to stroke her face.

"I love you, too."

Danny and Sam managed to complete their homework before attacking each other. Sam led Danny up to her room, guiding him to the bed.

"Are you sure, Sammy?" Danny raised his eyebrows.

Sam had to laugh at this. "I just want to cuddle with you. It's that so wrong?" she smirked.

"Of course not. It's just that-"

"Oh, please, Danny. I'm still worn out from last night," Sam said with a wink.

Danny's grin seemed to stretch from ear-to-ear. "That's nice to know."

"Don't you get a big ego, Lover Boy," Sam teased, walking over to the closet to take out a nightgown. Danny watched in awe as she undressed completely, then slipped the gown over her head before turning to face him. "What are you still grinning about?"

"What do you think?"

Sam blushed a little. "Am I really that hot?"

"Of course you are," Danny insisted, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. "Everything about you is beautiful. And I don't just mean your appearance."

Sam reached up and pulled down Danny's face to hers to give him a kiss. He guided her mouth open with his tongue, and she welcomed it, sucking on the tip. After they finally pulled away, they went to the bed, crawling under the covers.

"I can't believe what we did here yesterday," Danny whispered. "Do you regret it at all?"

"Nope, and you?"

"Not in the least. Initially, it worried me that it all happened so fast. But, in hindsight, I'm glad it did happen."

"Me, too, Danny," Sam whispered, snuggling closer to him and rubbing his arms. "But be honest- what was your favorite part?"

Sam could feel Danny's skin warm as he began to blush profusely. "All of it."

"C'mon, be more specific," she prompted him.

"I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me."

"DANNY!"

"Okay, okay. Honestly, it was seeing you without any clothes on for the first time. I mean, I already knew you were beautiful, but... wow. What about you?"

"The same."

"Really?"

"Really. I can't believe how ripped you are."

"So I take it that it was a pleasant surprise?" Danny inquired.

"Very pleasant."

The two continued their talking, kissing, and cuddling until it came time for Danny to go home.

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself, Sam?"

"Positive, Danny."

"Okay, but promise me you'll call if you need anything."

"I promise."

Danny and Sam shared one last kiss before he went ghost and flew off into the night. As she watched him from the window, she missed him already. But, more importantly, she felt a happiness that had evaded her for so long, brought on by her and Danny's strong and passionate love for each other.

* * *

**Please review! Thanks so much!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, I certainly didn't expect it to take so long to update this! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story and/or added it to favorite/alert lists. I truly did not anticipate this chapter taking so long to finish, and apologize for the extended delay. At any rate, I hope the next chapter will not take nearly so long.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the _Danny Phantom_ series in whole or in part. Nor do I own any work by Paula Abdul.**

* * *

Over the next two months, Sam took her medicine daily and went to therapy once a week. She and Danny strengthened their love for each other, but instead of having a strictly physical relationship, they focused on getting closer through dates, long talks, or even just hanging out with Tucker, as if nothing had changed.

It was now the first week of June. School would finish for the year in just three days, and Sam would be celebrating her sixteenth birthday that weekend. Much to everyone's surprise, she'd actually agreed to have a Sweet Sixteen party.

Since her parents were out making last-minute party arrangements and her grandma was visiting friends, Sam invited Danny and Tucker over to study for their finals together. As they prepared for their Astronomy exam the next day, Sam could feel the pressure getting to her. Excusing herself, she jumped up from the table and went upstairs.

Sam went to her parents' room and found it locked. Desperate, she grabbed her student ID card from her backpack and slid it between the door and the jamb, popping the lock.

Sam turned the knob, and the door creaked open. She crept inside, closing and locking the door behind her. Going to the bathroom, she found the keys to the cabinets. Unlocking and opening them, she dug around until she found what she sought.

The door and cabinet locks had been installed after Sam admitted she had been cutting herself. Sam could still shave, but someone was always with her. When her parents were out of town, Sam would stay with Danny or Tucker.

Even though she would wear clothes when shaving, so people could watch over her, just the awkwardness of it all prevented her from relapsing. Until now. Now was different. Now, she needed a release.

Danny heard the noise upstairs and stopped studying. Motioning for Tucker to follow him, he quietly made his way up the steps. Once at the top, they began to head towards the noise coming from Sam's parents' room.

Trying the knob, Danny found the door locked. Worried, he phased through it. He heard a gasp of pain and traced it to the sink area, where he found Sam with a razor to her arm.

"Sam, no!" he screeched, his voice causing her to drop the razor on the floor in surprise. But not without cutting herself somewhat deeply in the process.

Danny dove for the razor and grabbed it, throwing it into the bedroom. Meanwhile, Sam clutched the wound, blood starting to stream out of it. Seeing she was still in shock over being caught, Danny retrieved a washcloth from a shelf near the shower. Removing Sam's hand from over the wound, he wrapped the washcloth around her arm, ordering her to apply light pressure until the bleeding stopped.

Danny yelled to Tucker, telling him to call Sam's parents. As reality began to sink in, Sam leaned against the wall, and slid down to the cold tile floor, tears streaming from her eyes. Danny searched for and found the razor, then locked it away in a drawer in another room. Tucker then handed him the phone and went to check on Sam, while Danny talked to her parents.

"Is our daughter alright?" Jeremy Manson inquired.

"She had a relapse, but it looks like I caught her before it got too bad. When I surprised her, she got scared and gave herself a big cut by accident. But I'm sure she'll be fine. She's applying pressure to the wound right now, and once it stops bleeding, I'll rinse it off and look at it. If it appears to need medical attention from a professional, I'll let you know."

"Can I speak to her please?"

"Of course. Just let me check on her first, to see if the bleeding's stopped."

Danny went back into the bathroom, to check on Sam's injury. Deeming her arm okay-for now-he handed the phone to her. "It's your dad," he informed her.

"Hello?"

"Sammykins, what happened?"

"I don't know, Dad," she admitted. "I guess I just started getting panicky over finals, and I...I..." Sam started to cry again. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed.

"Shh, don't cry honey," her father soother her. "It'll be alright."

"No, it won't, Dad," she suddenly screamed, hanging up the phone.

* * *

"This is going to sting a bit," Danny warned Sam as he soaked a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol. 

"Ow, fuck!" Sam said with a sharp hiss. "Damn it, stop that, Danny!" she screeched.

"Just relax, Sam. I'm almost done cleansing the wound," Danny answered calmly.

"If it'll help, you can squeeze my hand to help ease the pain," Tucker offered.

As Danny finished cleansing Sam's cut, she gripped Tucker's hand with all her might, causing him to yelp in pain. "Ouch, Sam! I said you could _squeeze_ my hand, not break it!" he complained, yanking his hand from hers to shake off the pain. Sam glared at him, causing him to immediately shut up.

Danny gently dressed the wound, then asked Tucker to give him and Sam some private time for a talk. Once the door closed behind their friend, Sam laid on her back on her massive bed, and Danny laid on his side, facing her.

"What happened, Sammy?" he asked her outright, concern in his eyes.

Sam averted her gaze from him. "I just got nervous, Danny. It happens."

"But why, Sam? Why did you cut yourself?"

"Look, Danny, I don't know, okay?" Sam growled. Suddenly tired of putting up a front, she broke down and cried. "I don't know why I did it. I just got so nervous about finals, and the next thing I knew, I was breaking into my parents' room to get the razor. And then you caught me."

"Sammy, you've been doing so well. I know finals suck, but you need to find a better way to relieve stress."

"Don't you think I know that, Danny? What do I look like, an idiot?"

"Of course not, Sam. It's just-"

"It's just what, Danny?" Sam cut him off.

"I'm worried that you're going to seriously injure yourself, Sammy. And I'm not going to let that happen, whatever it takes. You can stop this, I know you can," Danny explained, tilting Sam's head up gently to get her to look at him and see that he was in earnest.

Sam again shifted her eyes away from him. "Maybe I just don't want to," she barely whispered.

"What was that?"

"Maybe I just don't want to quit!" Sam nearly screamed.

"Sam, I don't understand," Danny said softly.

"That's exactly it, Danny. You don't understand. You don't understand what it's like to be so stressed that you feel like you're going to have a nervous breakdown over a stupid test. And you don't know how it feels to have people stare at you and make fun of you to your face just because you don't look or act the same as they do."

"Yeah, Sam, I have no idea," Danny said sarcastically. "All I do is balance work, school, ghost hunting, and a social life. And I've revealed myself as a human-ghost hybrid that protects Amity Park, but no matter how much I save the town, people still treat me like a freak of nature. But you're right, I have absolutely no idea how you feel."

"See? It always has to go back to you. Every time I try to explain how bad things get for me at times, you always have to counter it and make it seem like whatever's going on in your life is so much worse, that I'm nothing more than a big baby with nothing better to do with myself than sink into a pool of self-pity and wallow in my own bitter sorrow."

Sam stormed out of the room, leaving Danny speechless, his mouth agape. He could hear footsteps as she raced down the back stairs. He heard the back door open and slam shut, then open again, and then he heard Tucker calling her name.

Danny went invisible and intangible, phasing through Sam's wall so that he was floating over the backyard. He looked down and saw Tucker exit the backyard through the side gate, still looking for Sam.

Danny swooped down and returned to normal, not wanting to waste energy by maintaining his ghost form. He and Tucker ran in opposite directions. At last Danny found Sam sitting under the shade of a tree, less than half a mile from her house, sweaty and gasping for breath from running.

Danny quickly called Tucker's cell phone to let him know he had found Sam. He then approached his girlfriend, who didn't pay him any mind. She simply sat there, staring at the ground, using the back of her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

"Sam, are you okay?" Danny asked, trying to catch his breath.

Sam continued to ignore him, leaning back against the tree and sighing longingly.

"Lila," he whispered, calling her by a nickname he'd given her.

Sam finally looked at him, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"I'm sorry, too," she whispered back.

Danny reached down and helped her up, and hugged her tightly to him. "I love you," he said, and she said it back to him.

The two started to share a deep kiss, just as Tucker came racing around the corner.

"Ew, you two, get a room," he proclaimed, disgusted.

The two immediately broke apart, flushed with embarrassment.

"You doing okay, Sam?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Tuck."

"Hey, since we're halfway there, what do you say we go to the ice cream shop for a study break," Danny suggested. "It'll be my treat," he added, taking Sam's hand.

"In that case, I'm getting a triple scoop," Tucker said, prompting a laugh from the other two.

* * *

Later that evening, long after Tucker and Danny went home, Sam laid on her bed, just thinking. Curious, she carefully peeled the bandage off her arm. As soon as the air hit her wound, the irritation made her cringe. Sam quickly put the bandage back in place, then became lost in thought again. 

_Maybe I just don't want to quit!_ The words that Sam had screamed at Danny earlier echoed in her head. She felt bad for yelling at him, but, at the same time, he just didn't understand what she was going through.

And what made it worse is that, while she was gradually getting better, it was getting harder to keep her illness a secret. She worried about disclosing her condition, for fear of being called neurotic, crazy, and so on. Although Danny was like a second therapist for her, there were a lot of things she kept to herself, and, thus, she mostly suffered in silence.

Sam sighed deeply as she got up. She walked to the window and stared up at the stars. It used to scare her as a child, trying to figure out how big the universe really is, and all its nuances. But lately she'd found that the more she learned about it, the less she feared some sort of random catastrophe.

Sam stepped away from the window, walking to her dresser to take out her pajamas. She found one of Danny's t-shirts and slipped it on, reveling in the fact that she could still smell his scent on it. She breathed deeply and smiled before finally crawling into bed.

Sam was reaching to turn off the lamp when, suddenly feeling inspired, she opened the top drawer of her nightstand and removed her journal. She also took out a pen and, opening the journal to a blank page, began to write.

_I love Danny so much, and, as cheesy as it may sound, I hope we are together forever. He means the world to me, and I can't imagine life without him. I am ever thankful to him for all that he has done for me._

_I wish I knew how to show my thanks to him, outside of... well, you know. We only did _that_ the one time, and while I don't necessarily regret what happened, I wish we'd waited longer. After all, we're both so young to be so physically involved._

_But, anyway, I'd best be off to bed. I have a long day ahead tomorrow. Good night, Diary._

Sam put away the diary, turned off the lamp, and snuggled under the sheet. Taking notice of how stuffy the room suddenly felt, Sam kicked off the sheet. That didn't help much, however, so she got up to open a window. Yet as soon as she got out of bed, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.

Sam's mouth widened into a toothy grin. "Danny, come out, come out wherever you are," she whispered.

"Hey, Sammy," Danny whispered back as he materialized in front of her. He quickly went human before pulling his girlfriend into a big hug.

"I missed you," Sam murmured into his chest. "And you only left a few hours ago."

"I missed you, too," Danny answered, leaning over Sam and captured her lips in a soft kiss. "By the way, my shirt looks even better on you than on me," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.

"Danny," Sam murmured, "would you like to stay the night?"

Danny raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Sam looked up at his face and actually laughed. "Shit, Danny, I didn't mean it that way. I'm just nervous about the test tomorrow, and I could really use the company."

"Okay, Sammy. But you'll have to set your alarm for a little bit earlier, so I can get home before my parents wake up. And before Jazz wakes up, for that matter," Danny commented, referring to his nosy sister, who pretty much mothered him quite a bit, yet insisted that she was "just helping."

"Will do, Danny," Sam smiled up at him before walking over to her alarm clock to adjust it. She and Danny then crawled into her bed, with him pulling the sheet over the both of them. Danny wrapped his arms securely around Sam's waist, and the two of them drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Danny's eyes popped open, and he noticed Sam's bedside lamp was on. His girlfriend was sitting up against a few pillows, going through her notes for the final. 

Wondering if he'd subconsciously heard the alarm sound, Danny, stifling a yawn, looked at the clock. 3:00.

"Sammy," he murmured sleepily, "what are you doing?"

"I had a dream I failed the test, so when I woke up, I decided to get in some extra study time, just in case."

"Don't be silly," a half-awake Danny murmured, shielding his eyes from the light. "You'll do fine tomorrow, but you still need a good night's rest."

"I suppose so," Sam conceded with a sigh, putting away her notes before turning off the lamp and laying back down next to her boyfriend.

Now facing each other, the couple smiled at one another and shared a kiss. They held each other close and quickly drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

**Please review! Many thanks!**


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